xtina marie.

everyone has a passion -- something that means the world to them, that inspires them and moves them. it's  something that makes us human. it's only natural that when a person's passion is threatened in whatever way they're going to react and go on the defensive. however there's a fine line between defensive and offensive.

it's one thing to defend yourself and state the reasons why you disagree. it's an entirely different matter to name call and state incorrect information. once you do so, you lose all credibility and just look foolish.

someone i know recently had a former friend of theirs say some rude things to her about a band that she has been a really dedicated fan of for over ten years. naturally she was upset by this because this band means the world to her, so she went on the defensive. her main arguments were if you want to continue to be closed minded... then that is your issue, just because you don't understand something does not give you the right to make fun of someone who does understand it, and i mean as much to them as they do to me, can you say the same for the bands you like? these are pretty valid points... except for the last one, which is where credibility begins to get lost.

Let's discuss your music. The music everyone else likes SUCKS.

there's so much wrong with this statement. if you call out someone as closed minded for not 'understanding' the music you like and then turn around and say the music that everyone else likes sucks, does that not make you entirely hypocritical? you can't degrade someone for not liking the music you do and then claim everyone else's taste in music is bad. it's just illogical, ignorant, and elitist... not to mention slightly delusional.

It's disgusting, disrespectful, repetitive shit that is created just to make money for the industries.

yes, music is created to make money. it is how the industry sustains itself. if there were no money, there wouldn't be very much of a music scene. to call all music aside from what you listen to 'disgusting, disrespectful, [and] repetitive' is just plain ludicrous. while it is true that some songs are repetitive and cookie-cutter, that's just how it goes. discovering what will be accepted by society and consumed by the masses isn't an easy task. it's only logical that once someone finds something that sells they're going to try to repackage and recreate that 'magic formula' as many times as possible until the market is saturated and the consumers are bored of it and ready for something new. remember when the backstreet boys' career started skyrocketing? then came *nsync, 98 degrees, otown, and a million other boybands that sprung up overnight in hopes of capturing that same success by using that 'magic formula'... but because of the overwhelming amount of boybands and huge surge of pop music, the market became saturated and the masses were over it and ready for something new and slowly, but surely, the boyband/pop music craze began to fade. most industries survive off of phases and the recycling of old ideas.

I do mean created.

i understand that this is supposed to be meant  negatively, but it's just not possible. music is created. that's what artists do -- they create. simple as that.

The majority of music is so remixed that it's not anywhere near the "artists" original voice.

first of all this statement could technically be true if you only listened to top 40 radio and nothing else. as for the fact that it's 'remixed' to not be the person's real voice, that just doesn't make any sense. you can state your opinion on things all you'd like, but if you want to try and make yourself sound legitimate don't try to pretend that you have an actual grasp of the industry when you don't use the correct terminology. there's a way of speaking and a certain language within each industry, those who attempt to throw around their opinions without being able to 'talk the talk' aren't taken seriously. that being said... yes, many artists today use protools and other voice correction programs, but i highly doubt that is what is being referred to here. in addition to that, almost every artist uses protools or a similar program while recording. it makes the process less tedious especially in high pressure situations where a lot of vocals need to be laid down in short amounts of time because a person's voice can only endure so much at one time. anyway, that aside, i believe that this person is probably referring to the vocoder used by artists like t-pain. while, yes, that is not his 'original voice' it doesn't make him any less of any artist. regardless of what it sounds like, he still has to go through the effort of hitting certain notes and pitches and following a rhythm with a certain flow. the vocoder is t-pain's 'thing'... it's what he's known for; it's what sets him apart. he re-introduced something into that scene and, in a way, breathed new life into it.

If they have a cute face and a cute body then they will sign them and use technology to create a voice for them.

i'm lost here. when did we time travel back to 2001? the only place where this actually still occurs -- that i'm aware of at least -- is the disney channel. it's no secret that disney takes it's actors and turns them into singers. they do this because they know they can. disney has the money and the power to take a mediocre singer and have them record an album that goes to #1. but that's disney... and they're targeting 6 to (maybe) 16 year-olds. they're not aiming for quality. they're just looking to create something that's catchy, fun, and family-friendly for children to listen to.

Yeah, that's music worth listening to. *eye roll*

but yet i know you listen to that music...

How about taking some time to listen to music that MEANS SOMETHING by someone who actually has natural talent?

if a person has a record deal, regardless of how overly-produced their vocals may be, they do have some sort of natural talent. with the industry already heading downhill and now the economy in the shitter, labels are looking for the full package -- artists that can sing, play, write, and already have a steady fanbase. (again with the exception of disney) this goes back to the whole 'talk the talk' thing. if you don't have your facts straight, you really shouldn't be passing judgement.

as for the 'music that means something' part, this is entirely hypocritical. you call someone 'close minded' and then turn around and say that everything other people listen to is meaningless. in your words, just because you don't understand something does not give you the right to make fun of someone who does understand it... or in this case, just because it's meaningless to you doesn't mean it doesn't mean something to somebody. beauty is in the eye of the beholder. if someone finds meaning in the words to 'crank that (soulja boy)' then that is music that MEANS SOMETHING... and as ridiculous as that song may seem to some, the man does have some sort of natural talent. to make a beat, write those lyrics, create a dance, and get the song out there without the help of a label to the point that labels took notice and then signed him. that takes ingenuity and business savvy. regardless of what you think of him or his song, that is talent.

I bet in a year from now no one will know the "artists" that are on the radio today.

just for fun let's take a gander at the top 10 songs on the most recent billboard hot 100 chart --
#1 - 'whatever you like' by t.i.
#2 - 'live your life' by t.i. featuring rihanna
#3 - 'so what' by pink
#4 - 'womanizer' by britney spears
#5 - 'hot n cold' by katy perry
#6 - 'disturbia' - rihanna
#7 - 'let it rock' by kevin rudolf featuring lil wayne
#8 - 'miss independent' by ne-yo
#9 - 'fearless' by taylor swift
#10 - 'can't believe it' by t-pain featuring lil wayne

with the exception of kevin rudolf and (hopefully) katy perry, i can almost guarantee that every one of these artists will be around in a year. britney spears and pink have been at the forefront of the industry for almost 10 years now. rihanna's album has been on the billboard charts for 72 weeks and taylor swift's has been on for 104. both of these albums are still in the top 40 of the billboard hot 200 charts... at a time when people pirating is at an all time high. lil wayne and t.i. both have careers with a good amount of longevity and consistently put out strong singles and records. numbers do not lie.

i can't even believe the amount of time i just spent writing all of this out, but it's something that i needed to do. when i read something like that it just frustrates me. every person has their own opinion and people don't always agree, that's just a fact of life. but you can have a mutual respect for each others' opinions. you certainly don't have to like everything you hear and you definitely don't have to think that it's good, but you shouldn't brush things to the side with harsh, ignorant, and untrue words just because it's not what you like. otherwise you just look conceited and foolish. if you want someone to open their mind, make sure yours is open as well. in order to gain respect, you must show respect. it's just that simple. it's just music.

** my point in all of this isn't to degrade (so hopefully i didn't do that/it doesn't come across that way) or 'prove wrong' the person who wrote the italicized statements. although those words provoked and inspired me to write all of this out because i think that a lot of people think along those same lines and that's unfortunate. this is simply my need/desire to stand up for something i wholeheartedly believe in.

ps, it's late and i'm tired. hopefully this is all coherent and logical.